I feel like a proud father or something here... Bear with me. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I'm so damned thrilled for my wife that I just have to make the post.

Wednesday, as I was leaving work, the radio traffic report cautioned to stay away from a particular intersection because of a really bad accident. The intersection is just north of where my wife works and my first thought was, "I hope she left early enough to miss it!" When I got home she wasn't there, so I knew she'd gotten stuck. They closed the highway, (typical for a fatality,) so all I could do was wait. (She wasn't answering her cell phone either. I'm a positive guy, so my only thought here was that she was stuck in traffic. I didn't know how stuck until she got home!)

When she arrived, I said, "So you got stuck in the accident backup?" She said, "More than that!" I took a quick glance at the car and there was nothing broken or bent out of shape. "How do you mean, MORE than that?" Apparently the accident happened right in front of her. A kid, (26,) on a motorcycle had been weaving through traffic, boasting the typical, "I'm invincible" attitude carried by most younger folk. He apparently missed the fact that the light was red and blasted through the intersection, right into a turning vehicle.

My wife had spent 11 years as an EMT and First Responder when she lived in Maine. She had the training, but not having done it for 8 years, she didn't have a single piece of gear. Not even a damned band-aid. (There's none at the house either. I bet there will be some when I get home today!) She checked the folks in the car to make sure they were OK first. She really didn't want to deal with the motorcycle driver after having see what happened to him, and hoped that someone else would take charge. Unfortunately, most people freeze when something like this happens. Everyone was just standing around looking at him. Compound fracture of the femur with the bone exposed about 4". Ankle fracture and broken arm were clearly visible. He was wearing a helmet and leathers, but she said the leathers were nearly completely ripped off his body. When she bent down to check him, body became the correct term. He wasn't breathing and there was no carotid activity. He was clearly dead.

Most of us would give up at this point. No gear. Blood everywhere. Who the hell is going to give mouth to mouth to someone they don't even know? Especially with no gear to protect you? She yelled at one bystander to call 911, and relay information about the victims basic condition. Which obviously wasn't good, since he was dead. She got one bystander to provide traction by holding the kids helmet so his head wouldn't move. She started CPR, but couldn't do that AND provide air at the same time. She started yelling at people who were standing around. The driver of the vehicle that was hit was in shock, as was his wife who is a practicing nurse at a local hospital was also in shock. (She was too upset to be of any help, and, like my wife says, most nurses in hospitals are prohibited from doing the things EMTs do. In the hospital it's the doctors job.) Still, she managed to hit some chord with the driver, had him put a handkerchief over the kids mouth and directed his blowing. She said it was really difficult for him because they couldn't clear the airway, prevented from tipping his head back because of the helmet and possible neck injuries.

Low and behold, they got him to start breathing! It wasn't good breathing, but it was breathing. She worked on this guy for almost 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived. The cops on scene, just directed traffic and stayed out of her way. The ambulance arrived, but they thought from initial descriptions the guy was already dead, so they approached without their gear. When they found he was breathing they had my wife continue what she was doing until they could take over.

Tough day all in all. She of course had to stay and make reports, etc. Before she left she asked the cop about the kids condition. The cop told her he didn't make it. It didn't destroy her. This had been her business for 11 years, after all. Just another non-save... Time for a beer to wind down.

Yesterday she called the driver of the car that was hit and asked how he was doing. She realizes, from experience, that it's difficult to separate blame and fault when you're involved in a fatal accident. Even when it's clearly not your fault, as in this case, you were still involved in the death of another human. He told her he couldn't go to work that day and was having difficulty talking about it, though he had written 8 pages. He also told her the only thing he remembers clearly was her yelling at him to breathe for this guy. She laughed at that, telling him she didn't remember yelling at anyone. The only thing she remembers hearing is the 911 call and the arrival of the ambulance. Both of these things were her way out of this mess, so they're clear in her mind.

Later yesterday the driver of the car called her. He'd received a call from the police to inform him the kid on the motorcycle was alive! In critical condition, but alive! She was elated! 11 years working to save people and when she had something critical like this they never lived. Now, 8 years later, with no gear whatsoever, she gets her first save. She planned to go to the hospital today and check on his condition. Something that wouldn't be happening if she hadn't been there in the first place. If no one had done anything the kid would have remained dead on the street and no amount of "medical science" would have been able to bring him back after 15 minutes of no oxygen.

Gotta say I'm damned proud of the woman. Looks like she's getting a basic life support bag for her birthday next Wednesday. It's a good investment for $300. Now I just hope she never has to use it.